The newsletter of UCL Medical School: highlighting achievements by staff and students; communicating developments in the Undergraduate and Postgraduate activities of the Medical School; and sharing good practice between medical educators.

Final year studentsRumana Lasker and Taufiq Dawoodstole the show with a passionate discussion of how they use social media, how they are excited by the educational possibilities of Twitter, and where they think the future of medical education lies. They used no presentation tools at all – very impressive!

Following the presentations, discussion continued over a glass of wine or orange juice and some nibbles. There was interest in the possibility of engaging with colleagues and students from other medical schools. There was excitement about the open nature of the project and the possibility of extending the reach of UCLMS. Valid concerns were raised about the possibility of students becoming distracted from other activities and potential breaches of confidentiality or unprofessional behaviour. There was general agreement that as educators we have a responsibility to help students navigate the boundaries of personal and professional identity on social media, as in the physical world, and a request from students themselves for some guidance on how to avoid running into problems. A page on guidance has been added to the quclms site with some top tips and links to guidance from UCL, the GMC and the BMA.

Domi Sinclair made the prize draw for a £50 amazon voucher for one of the first 100 UCL students to follow the @quclms account. The winner was Roosey Sheth, who tweeted “I never win anything! haha.. how exciting!” Another voucher is up for grabs for completing the questionnaire that will be sent out shortly, and another one available in a lottery for any UCL students who participate in the discussions on Twitter once the cases go live.

Some visible results are already apparent. Sub-dean for assessment Alison Sturrock is planning to use a textwall including tweets in an upcoming lecture. Will Coppola, Vertical Module lead, picked up some tips from Mandy Shoa, fifth year student, on who to follow on Twitter and has been discussing his new finds with colleagues. Deborah Gill, MBBS lead, resurrected her Twitter account and tweeted from the HEA conference she attended.

If you’re a junior doctor, Consultant clinician, scientist or educator we would love for you to get involved. Please get in touch and we will send you a structured question submission form and an example case. We need your input to make this exciting project a success!